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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: season · capital · rash · fall · suit · cold · scale · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cold — an illness
  16. suit — in cards
  17. scale — in music
  18. capital — a city
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — to fit
  21. season — in sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. capital — money
  24. cold — the Cold War

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