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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.

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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: track · lie · scale · suit · degree · bat · bowl · wax

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bat — the animal
  6. suit — clothes
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wax — to grow
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. track — a path
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — in music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — a song
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — to recline

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