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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — help
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rule — government
  7. scale — size or range
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — a country
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — in cards

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