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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: club · root · cue · arm · sharp · land · perch · fine

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — the cause
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — a country
  10. club — a group
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cue — a signal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. land — to come down
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cue — for pool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — ground
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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