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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. row — to paddle
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. present — the time now
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — a permit
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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