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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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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: leaves · perch · capital · pound · bay · pit · degree · fan

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. capital — a city
  5. degree — from a university
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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