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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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