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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — army training
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tube — a container
  18. stock — goods
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. roll — on a roll

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