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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — a group
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bound — tied together
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — to fit
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bound — certain
  19. club — for golf
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — in cards
  24. foot — 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