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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: capital · perch · sharp · hand · calf · club · rash · leaves

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a city
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — a group
  16. perch — the fish
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — in cards
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — help

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