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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. land — to come down
  4. chip — for betting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chip — to eat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tube — the underground
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a match
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — ground
  20. press — to push
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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