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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: bat · hide · degree · race · temple · scale · wax · club

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. degree — an amount
  3. club — for dancing
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. race — humankind
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. club — for golf
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. club — a group
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. race — the arms race
  24. temple — a place of worship

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