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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. track — a path
  5. last — to go on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — to eat
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. last — finally
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fall — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. track — a song
  21. last — final
  22. drill — army training
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fall — to drop

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