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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — after costs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — to play on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pass — a permit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. race — humankind
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. swing — music
  17. race — a contest
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — to eat

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