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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: present · nail · cold · kid · chip · rest · perch · firm

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. firm — a company
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — decided
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — to tease
  9. perch — the fish
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. present — a gift
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chip — for betting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. present — there
  22. firm — steady
  23. kid — child
  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