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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fall — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chip — to eat
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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