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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: board · pop · cabinet · pound · cell · sharp · perch · kick

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pop — soda
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kick — in football
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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