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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.

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: degree · wound · scale · cap · lash · date · fan · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cap — of ice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — an injury

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