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

Word bank: rest · swing · scale · pitch · wave · degree

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. swing — to play on
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — in music
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — completely
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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