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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · jam · sharp · board · lash · cold · rush · perch

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rush — hurry
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. board — a committee
  24. perch — the fish

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