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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · perch · bat · cabinet · pitcher · key · season · file

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a line of people
  15. perch — the fish
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — of the year
  23. bat — the animal
  24. key — in music

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