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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · season · safe · game · pop · perch · row · content

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of a king
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — the amount
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pop — to visit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pop — music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — the fish
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — for a bird

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