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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: swing · scale · perch · court · mate · mark · chair · lean

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — for sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. swing — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — a leader
  21. court — of a king
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — a partner

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