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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: last · court · file · perch · chest · jam · ruler · roll

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — for sport
  5. last — finally
  6. roll — a cake
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. roll — a list
  12. file — a tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — the fish
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — of law
  20. chest — a box
  21. last — final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — on a roll

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