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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. can — to be able to
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — for betting
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — to point toward
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. face — to confront
  12. land — ground
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. land — to come down
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mark — a trace
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. can — a tin
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kid — child

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