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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: degree · tear · bat · pit · field · suit · scale · mug

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. pit — a hole
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a face
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — an amount
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mug — a cup
  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