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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: perch · season · degree · pound · rest · straw · game · lie

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. season — of the year
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — a break
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — from a university
  24. straw — a straw man

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