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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 120 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
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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: perch · land · bore · pop · net · rush · game · degree

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. net — for catching
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — a country
  6. pop — to visit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — an amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pop — music
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — soda
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — in sport
  22. land — to come down
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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