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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: cell · mouse · perch · stand · chip · rash · cold · cabinet

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chip — to eat
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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