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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 116 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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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 · ruler · perch · bat · capital · chair · wax · fall

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — the season
  9. court — of law
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. court — of a king
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — a city

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