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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. dip — to sink
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. squash — to crush
  6. court — of a king
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. suit — to fit
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tube — a container
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — 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