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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 116 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
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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: fine · scale · ball · pop · tear · present · degree · file

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. present — a gift
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a line of people
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. ball — a great time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — all right
  12. degree — temperature
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pop — soda
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — there
  24. file — a document

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