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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.

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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: bound · chest · game · mark · court · perch · snap · cue

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bound — tied together
  8. court — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. bound — obliged
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of law

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