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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: perch · march · bay · temple · hand · pound · rash · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pound — a weight
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. hand — in cards
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — the month

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