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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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 — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. staff — a stick
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — to get on
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. board — a committee
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of a king
  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