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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 · wind · safe · trunk · stick · perch · bay · mug

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — to rob
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — a face
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. trunk — of a tree

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