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

Word bank: wake · bound · file · perch · stick · pound · pitch · court

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. court — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pitch — completely
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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