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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. cell — in biology
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. wake — a trail
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. perch — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — to eat with

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