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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. roll — a cake
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. court — of law
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. court — for sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. perch — the fish
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. staff — a stick
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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