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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — to protest
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. perch — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. scale — size or range
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — in music

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