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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: sharp · perch · rash · wake · board · ground · game · scale

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ground — a position
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. scale — in music
  19. board — to get on
  20. rash — a series
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. perch — for a bird

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