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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: perch · bat · pitcher · ruler · pit · hand · plane · roll

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. roll — a list
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — the animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. perch — the fish
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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