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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. court — for sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. net — after costs
  14. court — of law
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. season — in sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chip — to eat
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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