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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: perch · sharp · court · pitch · leaves · bass · land · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. suit — clothes
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. perch — the fish
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. land — ground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bass — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. suit — in cards
  24. court — for sport

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