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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: perch · row · spell · sharp · cue · capital · calf · ground

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cue — a signal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a line
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — to paddle
  12. capital — a city
  13. spell — letters
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — a position
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — money
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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