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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
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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: rash · pound · perch · ball · bat · mate · clip · bowl

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a great time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — for paper
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — a video
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bowl — a football final
  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