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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chip — to eat
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — a weight
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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