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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bound — certain
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — bread
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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