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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: kid · shower · pitcher · scale · stand · rock · track · foot

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. kid — child
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — rain
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — a stone
  19. track — a path
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — to tease
  23. foot — the bottom
  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