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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: chip · pound · swing · court · perch · fall · ground · fine

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ground — crushed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. perch — the fish
  7. court — of law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chip — to eat
  18. court — of a king
  19. fall — the season
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ground — a position
  24. swing — music

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