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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: mark · bowl · bat · clip · cue · row · perch · racket

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cue — a hint
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cue — for pool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. perch — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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