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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · rash · bowl · coach · degree · fan

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — an amount
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — from a university
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — a series
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — on the skin

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