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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: court · key · foot · perch · bound · kick · pass · bear

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bound — tied together
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. key — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. kick — in football
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. foot — the bottom

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