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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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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 · rest · pop · bay · sharp · snap · wind · bound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — a break
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bound — obliged
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — to visit
  15. snap — to click
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — certain

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