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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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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: bowl · perch · bank · mate · last · staff · leaves · court

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. court — of a king
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — final
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. staff — employees

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