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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 116 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: rash · bound · wake · bat · perch · press · file · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — to push
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a line of people
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — a trail
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. press — a publisher

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