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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 120 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: staff · fan · ball · sharp · perch · swing · bound · mark

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — in golf
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — tied together
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — obliged
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ball — a dance
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — certain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — exactly

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