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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · row · bay · hide · fall · bass · degree · squash

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. scale — in music
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. row — to paddle
  14. degree — temperature
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — low music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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