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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — to bend
  5. foot — a measure
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. charge — in control
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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