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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.

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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: sharp · bear · rock · rash · coach · mark · pitcher · perch

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bear — the animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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