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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: mouse · nail · straw · drill · perch · rash · pitcher · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — a practice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — army training
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rash — hasty

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