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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: sharp · safe · roll · game · pop · perch · pound · court

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. court — of a king
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. game — a match
  8. court — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — of law
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a list
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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