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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: leaves · clip · chest · rock · cue · perch · fan · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — for paper
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — a stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cue — a signal
  14. clip — a video
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rock — music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — to cool the air

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