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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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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: row · march · cell · hand · perch · suit · sharp · fan

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. march — music
  4. hand — help
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. suit — clothes
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — in cards

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