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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: roll · court · lash · perch · land · jam · cell · present

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — to come down
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — for sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in biology
  22. present — there
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. jam — in traffic

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