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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: lean · ruler · sharp · hand · spell · can · chip · perch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — to bend
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — in cards

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