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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: perch · racket · fan · land · pitch · lie

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — ground
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. land — a country
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. land — to come down
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lie — an untruth

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