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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: chip · perch · pit · cap · hand · bound · chest · cue

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bound — certain
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cap — a hat
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. chip — to eat
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chip — for betting
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hand — help
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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