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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: pound · present · drill · court · date · perch · rule · mark

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — a trace
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — of law
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rule — government
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rule — a law
  14. date — the fruit
  15. present — a gift
  16. mark — a grade
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — the time now
  19. pound — a weight
  20. present — there
  21. drill — army training
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rule — to rule out
  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