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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. roll — a list
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — completely
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — obliged
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — a video
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. clip — to cut
  24. roll — a cake

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