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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: cue · hide · bore · row · land · perch · court · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pop — soda
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — ground
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — to paddle
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — to come down
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cue — a hint
  24. court — for sport

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