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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — child
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — tied together
  9. content — happy
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — after costs
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. net — for catching
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — videos and posts

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