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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. row — a line
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chest — a box
  11. court — of law
  12. capital — a city
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. capital — money
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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