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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — to confront
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pop — soda
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — a series
  13. face — to point toward
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — for betting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. patient — a sick person

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