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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.

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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.

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 · bass · swing · dip · track · bark · bat · pitch

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bat — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a path
  21. dip — to sink
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — the fish
  24. dip — a sauce

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