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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: rash · wound · mark · sharp · game · perch · bat · present

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. game — a match
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mark — a grade
  12. perch — the fish
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — a series
  23. present — a gift
  24. sharp — clever

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