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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 120 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: bore · deal · court · content · saw · perch · club · craft

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. craft — boats
  3. court — of a king
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — a skill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — the amount
  14. deal — to handle
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — for golf
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of law
  23. saw — the tool
  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