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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: court · degree · scale · rush · saw · swing · track · cell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. swing — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. court — of law

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