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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: rash · tube · cue · sharp · drill · perch · net · march

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. net — in sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — after costs
  12. drill — army training
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — the month
  18. net — for catching
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — the tool

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