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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. suit — clothes
  3. club — a group
  4. row — a line
  5. court — of law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — in cards
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. row — to paddle
  16. suit — to fit
  17. court — of a king
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — in music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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