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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.

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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: ball · bay · club · lean · pitcher · wound · perch · rest

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — a break
  17. club — a group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for golf
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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