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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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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 · content · deal · lie · fine · present · degree · nail

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — all right
  5. deal — to handle
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. content — the amount
  11. fine — high quality
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — there
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. content — happy
  19. present — the time now
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. perch — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — to recline

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