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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · degree · drill · lie · bass · hide · mark · lash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. drill — a practice
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — army training
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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