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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 120 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: arm · field · stick · deal · court · chair · perch · wave

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. field — a subject
  10. chair — a leader
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. field — farmland

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