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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: wave · perch · ball · bark · court · kick · hide · pitch

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — for sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ball — a great time
  18. court — of law
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — of a king

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