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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: sharp · perch · clip · craft · court · mark · snap · pitcher

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — for paper
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — boats
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to click
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. clip — a video
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mark — to pay attention

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