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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: kick · degree · bat · charge · perch · bulb · march · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — temperature
  7. last — finally
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — in control
  10. march — the month
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. charge — a price
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — for baseball

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