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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 120 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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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: bat · chip · deal · pop · perch · spring · can · temple

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — to visit
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spring — of water
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spring — a coil
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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