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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · racket · court · sharp · arm · chip · lie · roll

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. perch — the fish
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lie — to recline
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — to eat
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — for sport
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — a list
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — of a king
  24. arm — a part of something

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