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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — in cards
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — to eat
  7. court — of law
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hand — help
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. prune — to trim

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