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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.

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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: foot · bass · rush · hand · bat · pitch · perch · trunk

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — in cards
  8. foot — a measure
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — help
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bat — the animal

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