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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: perch · chip · bowl · court · toast · rush · club · clip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. court — for sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. club — a group
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. perch — the fish
  8. club — for dancing
  9. toast — bread
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — to eat
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. clip — for paper

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