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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · lean · kick · perch · temple · can · pitcher · court

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. lean — to bend
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — high quality
  12. court — of a king
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. court — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of law
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — the fish

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