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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: net · object · pitcher · scale · degree · cold · staff · current

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. staff — a stick
  12. object — an aim
  13. current — of water
  14. object — to protest
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. scale — in music

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