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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. foot — a measure
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — in control
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of a king
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. court — for sport
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — the fish
  23. march — music
  24. charge — a price

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