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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — to tease
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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