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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · stock · toast · kid · perch · pass · ground · track

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pass — a permit
  3. scale — in music
  4. stock — shares
  5. perch — the fish
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stock — goods
  11. ground — a position
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — a song
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. toast — bread
  24. scale — size or range

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