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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. swing — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. swing — to play on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chip — to eat
  18. swing — in golf
  19. land — a country
  20. content — happy
  21. perch — the fish
  22. content — the amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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