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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.

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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: charge · bass · degree · saw · content · scale · mark · row

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. charge — a price
  7. degree — an amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bass — low music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. row — a line
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — the fish

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