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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: bay · track · pop · march · key · last · scale · wound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a path
  3. key — in music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. last — final
  17. track — a song
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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