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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: rock · key · perch · pitcher · court · file · board · shower

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. key — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — for a lock
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. rock — music
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rock — a stone
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  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