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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 116 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: spring · content · perch · suit · court · lean · game · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — of water
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — the fish
  8. content — the amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — of law
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. game — wild animals
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. spring — the season

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