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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.

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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 · dip · squash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

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

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