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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.

Make a worksheet

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: season · lean · bat · bowl · mark · perch · arm · roll

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — a grade
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — a list
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. season — of the year
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — to roll

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