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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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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: chip · pit · game · wound · shower · pass · land · perch

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — ground
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — to come down
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — a permit
  24. shower — to wash

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