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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: fall · saw · scale · cap · stock · chest · charge · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cap — a lid
  9. track — a path
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fall — the season
  19. stock — shares
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — goods
  23. charge — a price
  24. track — a song

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