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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 120 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: bat · track · game · bass · perch · rush · mate · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — for digging
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a match
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — a song
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bass — low music
  23. track — to keep track
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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