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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hand — help
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — exactly

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