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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: pitch · fall · perch · stick · bat · mouse · pit · rash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fall — to drop

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