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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bass — the fish
  7. club — for golf
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — in music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — low music
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — for a bird
  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