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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — a song
  4. snap — to click
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mark — a grade
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — finally
  11. root — of a word
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. scale — in music
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — final
  17. root — the cause
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. root — of a plant
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — a trace

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