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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: perch · sharp · mate · drill · net · bulb · capital · rash

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — army training
  3. mate — a partner
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — for catching
  24. perch — the fish

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