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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 116 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: perch · club · mine · race · degree · mouse · pass · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. club — for golf
  3. fine — high quality
  4. club — a group
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. club — for dancing

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