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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: wake · game · drill · fork · track · scale · hand · temple

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — army training
  4. wake — a trail
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — in a road
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. track — a path
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. scale — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — a match
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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