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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of law
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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