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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · chest · mark · scale · sharp · charge · squash · mate

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — of your body
  3. charge — a price
  4. scale — size or range
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — in control
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — of your body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — a grade
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — in music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a partner
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. charge — electricity

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