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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. perch — the fish
  5. board — a committee
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. board — to get on
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hand — in cards

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