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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — for betting
  5. field — a subject
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — to come down
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. field — farmland
  12. land — a country
  13. field — for sport
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kick — in football
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chip — to eat
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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