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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: content · arm · pitch · perch · chip · object · bark · sharp

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. content — the amount
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bark — to shout
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — completely
  19. content — happy
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chip — for betting
  24. perch — the fish

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