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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · kick · track · last · pound · sharp

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. last — final
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pound — a weight
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — finally
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. kick — in football

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