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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
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: clip · sharp · ball · game · drill · perch · present · ruler

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. present — there
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — for paper
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — a video
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. drill — army training

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