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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
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: pitcher · scale · straw · degree · wind · season · bowl · pop

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — from a university
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — soda
  24. scale — for weighing

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