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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. court — of law
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — to visit
  5. court — of a king
  6. lean — thin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — for sport
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — after costs
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pop — soda
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. perch — the fish

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