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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bear — the animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — the underground
  12. track — a path
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — a container
  21. chair — a leader
  22. court — of law
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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