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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pound — a weight
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. degree — from a university
  6. current — electric
  7. net — for catching
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — of water
  14. scale — in music
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. current — happening now
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — in sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — help
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. scale — for weighing

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