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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: kid · perch · lash · pit · ground · rash · sharp · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — to handle
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rash — a series

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