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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — to eat
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — for betting
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — a thing
  20. can — a tin
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chip — in a computer

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