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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: deal · degree · spell · drill · perch · bowl · board · row

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. board — to get on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — a short time
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spell — magic
  10. degree — from a university
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — letters
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. board — a committee
  20. row — a line
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. drill — a practice
  24. row — a quarrel

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