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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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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: present · fan · pitcher · dip · club · bat · perch · object

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — a thing
  14. club — for golf
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. club — a group
  21. perch — the fish
  22. present — there
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitcher — a jug

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