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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 · perch · march · pass · pop · rush · kid · coach

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. kid — to tease
  7. perch — the fish
  8. kid — child
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. coach — a trainer

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