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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — a gift
  6. land — a country
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. race — the arms race
  11. land — to come down
  12. present — the time now
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. land — ground
  17. present — there
  18. chip — to eat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chip — for betting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  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