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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: degree · cabinet · ground · firm · cue · clip · lie · scale

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cue — for pool
  11. degree — temperature
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ground — a position
  18. cue — a signal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. cue — a hint
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — steady

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