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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: ball · last · bear · perch · fan · court · rush · mouse

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. ball — a dance
  15. court — of a king
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — for sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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