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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rash — hasty
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kick — in football

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