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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. field — farmland
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. chip — for betting
  14. field — for sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — certain
  19. chip — to eat
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitch — completely
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bound — obliged

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