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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: deal · leaves · cell · perch · court · bound · content · sharp

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — of a king
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — certain
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cell — a phone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. court — for sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bound — tied together
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — happy
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — of law

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