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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — in cards
  12. court — of law
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — the fish

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