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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — a price
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — in control
  7. spring — the season
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — of a king
  12. track — a path
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. charge — electricity
  21. track — a song
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. track — to keep track

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