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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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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: staff · plane · bay · court · roll · perch · club · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. club — a group
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. roll — a cake
  9. plane — a tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — of a king
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. perch — for a bird

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