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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. scale — in music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — for digging
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — the season
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. leaves — of a tree

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