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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.

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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: degree · perch · rush · pound · bat · pitch · land · firm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. land — ground
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — steady
  9. perch — the fish
  10. firm — decided
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — hurry
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. land — to come down
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. firm — a company
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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