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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.

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: arm · rule · track · face · jam · perch · degree · bass

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — part of the head
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rule — government
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rule — a law
  14. face — to confront
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — a path
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. degree — from a university
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — for a bird

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