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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 116 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: pitcher · ground · cue · perch · degree · bay · charge · sharp

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — a price
  24. cue — a hint

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