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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: trunk · racket · lash · march · bat · perch · pitch · hide

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bat — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — completely
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. march — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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