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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: capital · lash · perch · net · race · land · sharp · pass

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — a contest
  4. perch — the fish
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — money
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. sharp — clever
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — in sport
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. land — a country
  19. race — the arms race
  20. capital — a city
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pass — a permit

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