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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
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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: kid · object · suit · court · content · perch · branch · fine

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. object — a thing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. perch — the fish
  7. suit — clothes
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — child
  16. suit — to fit
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. court — of a king
  21. kid — to tease
  22. suit — in cards
  23. fine — high quality
  24. perch — for a bird

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