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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: wind · rule · fine · perch · court · pitcher · leaves · kick

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — all right
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — in football
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — a law
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. court — for sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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