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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.

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: march · perch · chip · pitcher · dip · fine · kid · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. march — music
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — for betting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — all right
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — the fish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ball — a dance

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