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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: game · perch · can · staff · ball · court · trunk · clip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. clip — to cut
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — a video
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ball — a great time
  18. court — of a king
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. can — to be able to
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. can — a tin
  24. staff — employees

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