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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.

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: pitcher · season · saw · can · fine · bat · perch · rush

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — high quality
  22. season — of the year
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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