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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: track · perch · court · charge · craft · pop · bore · degree

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. court — of law
  3. pop — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. court — for sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. charge — in control
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — to drill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. craft — a skill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — to tire
  23. charge — electricity
  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