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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. face — to confront
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. perch — the fish
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. court — of a king
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — finally
  16. court — for sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — to play on

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