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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a friend
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. perch — the fish
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. court — for sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of law
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kick — in football
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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