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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: swing · bass · pass · degree · board · mark · perch · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mark — a trace
  7. swing — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. board — to get on
  13. mark — a grade
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bass — low music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. board — a committee
  20. rule — a law
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. swing — to play on
  24. perch — the fish

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