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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. scale — size or range
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. scale — in music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — a list
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chair — a leader
  20. track — a path
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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