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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 116 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: nail · bound · content · wind · sharp · perch · game · chip

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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