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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bank · pass · bat · degree · wind · nail · game

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — a permit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — a match
  10. bank — for money
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — wild animals
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — for a hammer

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