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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — a match
  8. track — a path
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. track — a song
  14. present — the time now
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cell — in biology
  19. present — there
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rush — hurry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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