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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — size or range
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — for sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. court — of a king
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — the fish
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — a gift
  19. court — of law
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — there
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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