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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chip — for betting
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — in football
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chip — in a computer

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