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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: pound · bass · perch · chip · leaves · fall · sharp · net

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — for catching
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. net — in sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  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