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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: rule · cell · bat · bear · perch · mark · pitcher · drill

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — government
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mark — a grade
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — a phone

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