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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: hand · season · fine · file · scale · degree · suit · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. file — a document
  8. degree — from a university
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. file — a tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. fine — all right
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — of the year
  19. suit — clothes
  20. scale — size or range
  21. degree — temperature
  22. march — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. degree — an amount

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