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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. tear — to rip
  8. land — ground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a match
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — a country
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mark — a grade
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tear — from crying

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