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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.

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 · net · last · degree · rash · fork · pit · band

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. pit — a hole
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — in sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — a series
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a music group
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. last — finally
  21. degree — temperature
  22. last — to go on
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a rubber band

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