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

Word bank: fan · bay · pound · degree · pit · last · board · perch

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — a weight
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — the fish
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. board — to get on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — final
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. board — a committee
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — in a race

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