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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — army training
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stock — goods
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rule — government
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — to shout
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. game — a match
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rule — a law
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — a practice

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