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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: dip · fine · pitch · file · squash · degree · patient · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fine — all right
  7. degree — temperature
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a document
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — high quality
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — completely
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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