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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: pound · march · roll · perch · track · fine · degree · spell

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spell — a short time
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pound — a weight
  7. degree — an amount
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — music
  14. track — a song
  15. perch — the fish
  16. roll — a list
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. track — a path
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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