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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 · suit · perch · bat · rock · fall · bound · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bound — certain
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — to drop
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. suit — clothes
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — in an idiom

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