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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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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: content · mark · pitch · scale · cue · stand · degree · root

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. degree — temperature
  6. scale — size or range
  7. root — the cause
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — in music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. root — of a plant
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cue — a hint
  15. root — of a word
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — the amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. stand — on your feet

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