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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — the season
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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