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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — after costs
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. suit — clothes
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. suit — in cards
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. face — part of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. face — to confront
  24. bark — to shout

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