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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: court · lie · ground · march · sharp · jam · perch · mouse

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ground — the earth

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