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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 120 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.

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: lean · scale · plane · ball · pitch · rash · degree · hand

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a dance
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hand — help
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lean — thin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — to rest against

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