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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: lean · club · roll · perch · sharp · rash · degree · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — for golf
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. degree — from a university
  18. roll — a list
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — the fish
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — thin
  24. degree — an amount

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