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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: cue · perch · chip · wound · net · safe · sharp · rush

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. net — after costs
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rush — a thrill

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