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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to click
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. object — a thing
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cell — in biology
  8. object — to protest
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — there
  11. tube — a container
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — from a university
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — the time now
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — temperature
  23. object — an aim
  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