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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — a skill
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — boats
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. content — happy
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. content — the amount
  24. march — the month

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