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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: race · cap · pit · scale · arm · cue · track · prune

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. race — humankind
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. track — a path
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cue — for pool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cue — a hint

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