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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. chip — for betting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — a line
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — in music
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. rule — government
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. bulb — for light

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