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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — a coil
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chip — to eat
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fine — all right
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. perch — for a bird

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