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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: court · suit · perch · pound · rash · rest · tube · toast

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rash — hasty
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — a series
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rest — a break
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — of law

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