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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 120 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: rush · kick · bulb · bat · key · perch · sharp · squash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kick — in football
  24. bulb — for light

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