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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: lean · date · fine · bat · nail · perch · clip · sharp

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. clip — to cut
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — a video
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. date — the fruit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — for a hammer

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