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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: scale · bound · foot · cell · perch · chip · nail · last

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. bound — certain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. chip — to eat
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — final
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. foot — the bottom
  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