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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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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: saw · last · pass · coach · bass · degree · scale · spell

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. scale — in music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spell — letters
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. last — finally
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — to go on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. last — final
  21. spell — magic
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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