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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pop — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — low music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — goods
  21. bass — the fish
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. season — in sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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