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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: game · degree · perch · leaves · pit · chip · scale · firm

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — in a race
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chip — to eat
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. firm — steady
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — a company
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. game — a match
  15. pit — a hole
  16. degree — temperature
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. firm — decided
  20. perch — the fish
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chip — for betting
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — size or range

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