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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — rain
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — the fish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — to wash
  21. court — of law
  22. face — to confront
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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