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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 · race · bark · perch · hand · spell · mark · coach

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — help
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mark — a grade
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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