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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: court · jam · bay · pop · toast · kick · perch · leaves

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. court — for sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of a king
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. court — of law
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — soda
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — lets stay

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