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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 116 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: saw · face · court · perch · hand · march · lash · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — the tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — a practice
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. court — of law
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. court — for sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — army training

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