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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: ground · track · last · wind · roll · scale · can · pit

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — a tin
  8. scale — in music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. roll — a cake
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — finally
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — a path
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — the earth
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — in a race
  21. last — final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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