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

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — the cause
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. kid — child
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — of a word
  24. sharp — clever

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