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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. drill — a practice
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. track — a song
  6. roll — a list
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — army training
  16. scale — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fine — high quality
  20. track — a path
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fine — all right
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. fork — a garden tool

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