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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.

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: rock · current · sharp · scale · degree · wind · perch · cap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. current — electric
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cap — a hat
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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