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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 120 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. perch — the fish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — all right
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — of water
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fine — high quality

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