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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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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: perch · rule · mug · sharp · court · staff · tube · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. court — for sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ground — a position
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — a law
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — employees
  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