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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: saw · ground · plane · deal · last · perch · toast · court

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — a tool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. perch — the fish
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — to handle
  13. court — of a king
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — of law
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ground — crushed

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