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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.

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: stick · mug · bat · bass · tear · rush · bowl · perch

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mug — to rob
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bass — low music
  23. mug — a face
  24. perch — for a bird

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