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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mark — a trace
  17. current — electric
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. perch — the fish
  24. current — of water

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