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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: perch · squash · toast · bear · row · foot · court · wake

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — of law
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — bread
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of a king
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. row — a line
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — the bottom

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