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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: pound · chest · roll · lean · mark · perch · board · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lean — thin
  9. board — a committee
  10. lean — to bend
  11. roll — a list
  12. board — to get on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mark — a trace
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — to hit hard

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