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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: pitcher · chair · ground · ruler · court · mug · perch · content

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mug — a cup
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — happy
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mug — a face
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of a king
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chair — a leader

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