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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 · mug · date · cap · coach · scale · clip · suit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cap — a hat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cap — a lid
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. scale — in music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — clothes
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mug — a face
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — for weighing

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