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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: net · rule · hand · sharp · perch · wound · pass · ball

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ball — a dance
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rule — a law
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ball — a great time
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — after costs
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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