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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — thin
  5. craft — boats
  6. can — a tin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cap — of ice
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chip — to eat
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — a match
  19. can — to be able to
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — a kind of play

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