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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 · ground · season · roll · bay · fine · cue · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — all right
  4. roll — a list
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. roll — a cake
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — a position
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ground — crushed
  13. season — of the year
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — for sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — in sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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