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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: pound · stick · chip · cell · arm · land · fine · perch

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chip — for betting
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cell — a phone
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. land — ground
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. land — a country
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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