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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: deal · degree · dip · ball · scale · chair · wound · tear

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — an amount
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — from a university
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. scale — in music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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