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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: game · branch · perch · present · rest · sharp · court · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — clever
  5. present — the time now
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — a division
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of a king
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — of law
  19. present — a gift
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. present — there
  24. sharp — exactly

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