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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · perch · ground · court · pass · nail

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. court — for sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pass — a permit
  18. ground — a position

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