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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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 a king
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of law
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — the bottom
  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