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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.

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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: vault · perch · bat · kid · pitch · charge · spell · squash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. spell — a short time
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — letters
  14. perch — the fish
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. charge — a price
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kid — child
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — completely
  24. squash — the sport

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