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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 · jam · arm · mark · suit · bound · ground · degree

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — an amount
  5. suit — clothes
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — a grade
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bound — obliged
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bound — certain
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — tied together
  22. degree — temperature
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — to pay attention

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