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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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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: clip · degree · toast · court · rest · pit · stick · scale

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pit — in a race
  3. degree — temperature
  4. scale — size or range
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — to cut
  9. scale — in music
  10. toast — bread
  11. clip — a video
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pit — a hole
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — of a king
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — of law
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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