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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: fall · date · scale · roll · cap · mine · pit · race

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fall — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. race — a contest
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pit — a hole
  11. scale — size or range
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — of ice
  14. roll — a list
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. date — the fruit
  21. race — humankind
  22. mine — for digging
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. roll — on a roll

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