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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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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: perch · degree · pound · cap · pitcher · ball · coach · bound

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — temperature
  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