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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.

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: game · degree · saw · trunk · toast · rule · firm · scale

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — size or range
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rule — government
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rule — a law
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. firm — a company

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