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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — a line
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. foot — a measure
  7. court — of a king
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. object — an aim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — a thing
  14. mark — a grade
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — to bear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. court — of law

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