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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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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: stand · court · last · lean · clip · pass · perch · deal

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. last — final
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. clip — a video
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. court — of a king
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — finally
  13. court — of law
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — to go on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lean — thin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pass — a permit

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