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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cell — a phone
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. row — a quarrel

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