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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — for catching
  8. board — to get on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — ground
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — a committee
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — a country
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bear — to put up with

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