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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 120 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 · scale · clip · bowl · leaves · track · pitcher · ruler

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — for paper
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. track — a path
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. track — to keep track
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — size or range

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