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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 116 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
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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: bat · pit · straw · hand · perch · capital · wave · rash

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pit — in a race
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a city
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  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