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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: racket · track · scale · row · file · craft · fine · staff

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — in music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. file — a document
  13. fine — all right
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a song
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a line of people
  21. craft — boats
  22. track — a path
  23. scale — size or range
  24. racket — for tennis

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