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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — for sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. club — a group
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — for golf
  16. deal — to handle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bound — tied together
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — of law

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