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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.

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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: perch · mark · ball · charge · season · bat · mouse · saw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. season — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. perch — the fish
  23. charge — a price
  24. mark — a trace

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