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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bat — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. calf — of the leg
  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