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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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Word bank
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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: object · temple · pitch · pitcher · bound · land · chip · perch

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. object — an aim
  14. perch — the fish
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chip — for betting
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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