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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: board · content · tube · bay · cue · race · scale · degree

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. scale — in music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — a signal
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cue — for pool
  13. board — to get on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. board — a committee
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tube — a container
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tube — the underground
  21. race — humankind
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. scale — size or range
  24. degree — an amount

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