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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
468
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: pitch · cue · degree · last · dip · squash · scale · press

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — finally
  3. cue — a hint
  4. scale — in music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — to sink
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — final
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — a publisher

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