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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. field — for sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — farmland
  17. perch — the fish
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — the tool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chip — for betting

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