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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.

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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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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 · vault · snap · bass · cue · perch · pit · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to click
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — in an idiom

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