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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: suit · lash · tube · sharp · file · game · perch · row

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. suit — clothes
  20. perch — the fish
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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