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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. court — of a king
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. snap — to click
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mark — a trace
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of law
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. date — the fruit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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