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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. court — of a king
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. court — for sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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