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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: current · perch · leaves · march · sharp · racket · cell · ball

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a dance
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — of water
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. current — happening now
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cell — in biology
  24. leaves — of a tree

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