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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: bat · bay · racket · file · lash · perch · roll · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. file — a document
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. roll — a list
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — a cake
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a line of people
  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