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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: rash · dip · perch · staff · squash · bowl · bat · race

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — hasty
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. dip — to sink
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — the fish
  13. squash — the sport
  14. race — a contest
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. perch — for a bird

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