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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — of a king
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. perch — the fish
  8. club — for golf
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. court — of law
  18. hand — help
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chest — a box
  22. court — for sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — to shout

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