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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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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: court · squash · bay · leaves · charge · perch · last · arm

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — finally
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. court — of law
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — for sport
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. charge — electricity
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — a price
  17. last — to go on
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. last — final
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — in control
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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