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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: perch · bass · date · chip · ruler · dip · race · kid

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — child
  5. race — a contest
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bass — the fish
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bass — low music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — humankind
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. date — the fruit
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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