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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · chest · charge · perch · dip · land · last · court

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — final
  3. land — a country
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — to come down
  6. chest — a box
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — of your body
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — ground
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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