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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · pop · bark · file · perch · cell · key · bat

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. file — a document
  3. key — for a lock
  4. file — a tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — in music
  16. perch — the fish
  17. key — the most important part
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — in a prison

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