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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 · chip · mark · key · fork · deal · degree · wake

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mark — a grade
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — in music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — an amount
  15. key — in music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fork — in a road
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — a trail
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. deal — a big deal

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