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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: spell · pit · club · bore · cabinet · court · tear · perch

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — a group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of a king
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. court — for sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — a hole
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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