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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · scale · file · degree · court · root · racket · fan

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. degree — from a university
  5. root — the cause
  6. court — of law
  7. key — in music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — for a lock
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a document
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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