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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. charge — electricity
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. chip — for betting
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. charge — a price
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — in control

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