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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: scale · bay · bowl · bat · chip · file · shower · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chip — for betting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — 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