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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. charge — a price
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chest — a box
  10. spell — magic
  11. chip — for betting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chip — to eat
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. charge — in control
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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