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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — final
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — to go on
  22. perch — the fish
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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