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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spell — letters
  5. track — a path
  6. pit — in a race
  7. track — a song
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. root — of a word
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — of law
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of a king
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. scale — for weighing

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