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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 116 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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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: row · scale · suit · root · pitch · cell · degree · cold

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — in music
  7. root — the cause
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. root — of a plant
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. row — a line
  23. suit — to fit
  24. root — of a word

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