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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: shower · sharp · craft · cue · perch · swing · season · rash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. swing — to play on
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — in golf
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cue — for pool
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — boats
  16. cue — a hint
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. swing — music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. craft — a skill

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