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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bass · staff · bat · perch · bear · pitcher · fan · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bear — the animal

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