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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: wound · foot · sharp · perch · squash · rush · net · kick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — clever
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. net — in sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. squash — to crush
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — after costs
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. foot — a measure
  24. net — for catching

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