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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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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 · pit · wind · game · court · tear · bowl · can

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — for sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — in a race
  8. can — a tin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — to rip
  16. game — a match
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of a king
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of law
  22. wind — moving air
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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