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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: chest · perch · race · stick · bear · rock · drill · chip

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. chest — a box
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bear — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — a contest
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — of your body
  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