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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: lie · row · pitcher · land · bass · racket · perch · degree

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. degree — temperature

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