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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — of the year
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — for sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — farmland
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. season — in sport
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com