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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: racket · bark · court · bat · charge · perch · degree · wound

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. perch — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. charge — in control
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — for sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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