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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. field — a subject
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. cue — a signal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a committee
  12. cue — a hint
  13. net — in sport
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — for pool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — newspapers
  24. field — farmland

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