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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · arm · perch · lie · bat · pound · tear · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. perch — the fish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lie — to recline
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — part of the body

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