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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: toast · degree · pass · sharp · bank · bowl · perch · ground

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — clever
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bank — of a river
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bank — for money
  22. toast — bread
  23. degree — temperature
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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