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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: spell · scale · perch · trunk · squash · foot · court · pitch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. perch — the fish
  11. scale — size or range
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitch — completely
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. squash — the sport

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