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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · fine · perch · wound · mate · racket · wave · sharp

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fine — all right
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — a friend
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mate — to breed
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — an injury
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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