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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: deal · scale · kid · track · game · rash · plane · season

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. kid — to tease
  8. game — a match
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. scale — in music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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