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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a ring
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. present — there
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitch — completely
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. charge — in control
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. charge — a price
  24. perch — for a bird

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