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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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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: bowl · file · snap · perch · club · ground · calf · pitch

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to click
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — a position
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — the earth
  21. club — for golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a document

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