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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — a path
  6. craft — a skill
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. face — to confront
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. track — a song
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — a line
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — size or range
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — a coil

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