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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: mine · fall · scale · cue · chest · cap · track · cabinet

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — a hint
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — a box
  15. fall — to drop
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — a lid

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