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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: pound · can · bass · bat · cue · pitcher · track · perch

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — a path
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cue — a hint
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pound — a weight
  24. perch — for a bird

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