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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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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 · row · face · chip · board · object · dip · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. object — to protest
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. capital — money
  12. object — an aim
  13. row — a line
  14. perch — the fish
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. capital — a city
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chip — to eat
  24. board — a committee

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