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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 120 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: stick · drill · fan · scale · tear · degree · chair · racket

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. scale — size or range
  7. drill — the tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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