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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. toast — bread
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. scale — in music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. court — of a king
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. scale — for weighing
  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