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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: ball · saw · board · capital · degree · bulb · lie · scale

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. board — to get on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. degree — from a university
  8. board — a committee
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. scale — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — a city
  24. ball — a round shape

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