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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a line
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — a series
  13. court — of a king
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stock — goods
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wake — a trail
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stock — shares

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