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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: scale · file · bowl · hide · rush · pound · degree · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — a city
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — size or range
  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