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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 124 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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — in music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — of a king
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — ground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. land — to come down
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — to drill
  21. land — a country
  22. court — of law
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a grade

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