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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — of water
  4. foot — a measure
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — the tool
  7. firm — a company
  8. chip — for betting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. firm — steady
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — army training
  20. tube — a container
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chip — to eat

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