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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. degree — an amount
  24. arm — a part of something

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