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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — the fish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — a series
  9. row — a line
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rest — a break
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mug — a cup
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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