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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — of a king
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. track — a song
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — for sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. bound — tied together

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