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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: scale · perch · cell · stick · chip · jam · straw · coach

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — in music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — size or range

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