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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.

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: spell · mine · chip · root · pass · game · perch · pop

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. game — a match
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spell — letters
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chip — for betting
  16. root — the cause
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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