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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rule — a law
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — a series
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — of law
  24. pitch — a sports field

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