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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: perch · pop · fine · current · season · court · pitcher · chip

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fine — high quality
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — electric
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — of water
  20. court — for sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. perch — the fish
  23. season — of the year
  24. court — of law

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