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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · court · pitcher · band · track · row · charge

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. charge — a price
  5. row — to paddle
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a path
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a song
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — of a king
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. band — a ring
  21. track — to keep track
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a line

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