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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bass — the fish
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — low music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — music
  12. rock — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — an amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. row — a line
  24. march — the month

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