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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a list
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — music
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pop — soda
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  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