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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: court · deal · cell · hide · sharp · perch · fork · stick

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. court — of law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in biology

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