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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: rest · hide · swing · court · mark · perch · scale · bear

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — what's left
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — a grade
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — music
  22. court — of law
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — animal skin

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