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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · game · charge · spring · chest · dip · foot · racket

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. charge — a price
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — electricity
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — wild animals
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. game — a match
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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