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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: band · lash · pitch · leaves · racket · perch · coach · bat

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bat — the animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a ring
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitch — completely
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a music group

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