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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.

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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: mouse · lean · court · tear · perch · cue · dip · chest

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. tear — to rip
  6. dip — to sink
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cue — a signal
  12. lean — thin
  13. cue — a hint
  14. court — of law
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — for pool
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — a sauce

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