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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: bowl · dip · degree · scale · perch · lash · chair · nail

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. degree — from a university
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. degree — temperature
  15. dip — to sink
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. scale — in music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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