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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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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: pound · fork · scale · degree · bat · nail · ruler · board

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. board — a committee
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — in a road
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bat — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — in music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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