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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. current — electric
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — the fish

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