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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.

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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 · track · row · bear · cue · arm · hide · perch

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — a hint
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cue — a signal
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a line
  15. track — a path
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. arm — a part of something

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