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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: pitcher · perch · pass · rash · net · bass · bat · ground

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — low music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. perch — the fish

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