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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: lean · content · court · calf · perch · pitcher · toast · pass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lean — to bend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. toast — bread
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lean — thin
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. content — happy
  15. court — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. content — the amount
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. calf — of the leg

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