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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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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: fall · pitch · racket · perch · lash · calf · bat · roll

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. roll — a cake

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