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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — a list
  4. pop — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — for betting
  8. land — ground
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — soda
  16. land — a country
  17. season — of the year
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — hurry
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — to visit
  23. roll — a cake
  24. season — in sport

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