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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: bear · degree · land · mark · perch · mate · pitcher · track

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — a partner
  3. track — to keep track
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a song
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a path
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. degree — temperature
  12. land — a country
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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