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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. land — ground
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — for sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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