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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
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: swing · perch · march · date · present · degree · game · plane

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. present — the time now
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. date — the fruit
  15. game — a match
  16. degree — from a university
  17. present — a gift
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. degree — an amount
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. swing — to play on

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