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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a friend
  3. last — final
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. hand — help
  6. chip — for betting
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chip — to eat
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — finally
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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