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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · game · straw · fine · firm · branch · degree · face

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — an amount
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. face — to point toward
  10. degree — from a university
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. firm — steady
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fine — all right
  23. branch — of a tree
  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