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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: bound · degree · squash · fan · scale · lie · last · track

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — in music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lie — to recline
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — size or range
  16. squash — to crush
  17. track — a song
  18. bound — obliged
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. bound — certain
  23. degree — from a university
  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