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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fine — high quality
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a song
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — a path
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — for catching
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — a law
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. capital — a city

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