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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.

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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 · mark · rash · lean · fan · perch · dip · ball

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. perch — the fish
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mark — a grade
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — the animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fan — to cool the air

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