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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chip — to eat
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rock — music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — for a bird

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