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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: degree · mouse · scale · face · fall · court · wax · squash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — to confront
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — for sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. court — of law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. face — to point toward
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of a king
  24. mouse — the animal

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