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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: swing · pass · pop · leaves · lash · perch · kick · degree

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — music
  5. swing — music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — temperature
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. kick — in football
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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