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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: rush · track · bat · leaves · pit · chip · pop · scale

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pop — to visit
  5. track — a path
  6. pop — soda
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pop — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a song
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — in a computer

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