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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · perch · club · ball · court · spell · wax · sharp

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. club — for golf
  3. court — of a king
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a great time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — clever
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — a group
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — for sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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