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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: racket · cold · cap · scale · dip · pitcher · degree · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. scale — in music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — temperature
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cold — not warm
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cap — a lid

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