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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 116 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: bay · bat · stock · season · pitch · root · perch · ball

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — shares
  7. root — of a word
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a great time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. root — the cause
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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