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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
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: game · fine · chest · scale · degree · trunk · swing · dip

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chest — of your body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. dip — to sink
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — wild animals
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. game — a match

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