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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 120 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: arm · deal · scale · degree · board · rush · pitch · stem

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitch — completely
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — to get on
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — temperature
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. scale — in music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rush — a thrill

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