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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a music group
  4. charge — in control
  5. perch — the fish
  6. charge — electricity
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — in cards
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. roll — a list
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a ring
  21. foot — a measure
  22. court — for sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. charge — a price

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