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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. snap — to click
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a line of people
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a document
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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