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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.

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: game · perch · sharp · fall · present · club · wound · rash

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. game — wild animals
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — clever
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. club — for golf
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — there

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