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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: wake · scale · track · ball · season · cap · mark · charge

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cap — a lid
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. scale — size or range
  6. season — of the year
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. scale — in music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mark — a grade
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — a path
  18. charge — in control
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wake — before a funeral

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