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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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