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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 116 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: bay · leaves · last · can · perch · board · game · sharp

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — finally
  12. game — a match
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — final
  16. perch — the fish
  17. can — a tin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. board — to get on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — clever
  24. perch — for a bird

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