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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mate — a friend
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — in music
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. scale — size or range
  20. last — final
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chip — for betting

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