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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · march · perch · hand · present · chair · object · degree

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — an amount
  8. object — to protest
  9. present — a gift
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — an aim
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — there
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. object — a thing

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