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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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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 · rule · jam · ball · roll · racket · lie · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rule — a law
  6. ball — a great time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ball — a dance
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — the fish
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rule — government
  23. roll — a list
  24. lie — an untruth

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