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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: degree · scale · suit · lash · spell · court · last · present

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — to go on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — final
  5. suit — in cards
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. suit — clothes
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. present — a gift
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. degree — an amount
  16. court — of a king
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. present — the time now
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — finally
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — for sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — there

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