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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 120 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: sharp · fork · foot · perch · cold · season · rash · track

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — clever
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. perch — the fish
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cold — not warm
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. season — in sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. perch — for a bird

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