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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
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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 · degree · file · row · mate · scale · temple · stick

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. row — to paddle
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a friend
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. degree — an amount
  24. scale — size or range

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