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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. scale — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pitch — completely

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