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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: scale · toast · root · pitch · trunk · ruler · degree · face

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. root — of a word
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. toast — bread
  17. root — of a plant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. scale — size or range
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — an amount
  24. toast — the most admired

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