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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cold — an illness
  9. club — for golf
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. club — a group
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bark — to shout

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