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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — hurry
  9. object — to protest
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. object — an aim
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. land — a country
  16. ground — the earth
  17. land — to come down
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. object — a thing
  24. chip — to eat

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