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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 120 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: clip · foot · mark · staff · scale · last · track · cue

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — final
  3. scale — in music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a path
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cue — a hint
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — a video
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cue — a signal
  14. track — a song
  15. last — finally
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — to cut
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — for paper
  23. scale — size or range
  24. foot — part of the body

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