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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: sharp · saw · pitcher · key · wind · perch

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — the fish
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air

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