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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — of law
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bulb — for light
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. court — for sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. court — of a king
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spell — magic
  14. vault — a safe
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — for catching
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — in sport

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