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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.

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: pitcher · perch · plane · staff · hand · bat · sharp · rash

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — help
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — in cards
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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