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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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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: bore · bat · rest · court · perch · safe · dip · ground

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bore — to tire
  11. perch — the fish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — to drill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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