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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: arm · dip · perch · kid · racket · club · file · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. file — a line of people
  18. dip — to sink
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — to tease

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