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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. march — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. march — the month

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