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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: chair · cap · rush · perch · track · straw · degree · fork

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a lid
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — a path
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cap — a hat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — to eat with

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