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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: mouse · perch · pop · track · object · shower · court · spell

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — to keep track
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — a short time
  11. object — an aim
  12. shower — rain
  13. object — to protest
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. pop — to visit
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — of a king
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — a song

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