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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 · last · court · dip · track · degree · toast · bass

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — a song
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — of a king
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — an amount
  14. toast — bread
  15. track — a path
  16. court — of law
  17. last — final
  18. degree — from a university
  19. last — finally
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — to go on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. scale — in music

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