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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cue — a signal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — in music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cue — a hint
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — for weighing

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