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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chip — to eat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — to visit
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. net — after costs
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. net — for catching
  18. land — a country
  19. net — in sport
  20. pop — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — to come down

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