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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: kick · perch · pound · degree · roll · land · sharp · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. degree — temperature
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. kick — in football
  13. land — ground
  14. pound — a weight
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. perch — the fish
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rule — government

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