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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 116 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: track · row · ball · leaves · pop · spell · last · scale

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — in music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spell — letters
  10. pop — music
  11. track — a song
  12. ball — a dance
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. scale — size or range
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — magic
  20. pop — soda
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. last — final
  23. track — a path
  24. row — a line

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