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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — a leader
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. land — to come down
  21. charge — in control
  22. pop — music
  23. charge — a price
  24. game — a kind of play

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