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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
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: court · firm · perch · cabinet · sharp · mark · mouse · straw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. court — for sport
  9. firm — steady
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — a trace
  16. firm — decided
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of a king
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mark — a grade

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