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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · land · stick · field · march · arm · dip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — for sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — to come down
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — farmland
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — ground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — the month

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