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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.

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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: pass · scale · clip · season · lean · degree · firm · club

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. clip — for paper
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — a group
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lean — thin
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. degree — temperature
  15. club — for golf
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — in sport
  18. firm — a company
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. pass — to succeed

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