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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: mouse · game · scale · ball · straw · fall · nail · track

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. scale — in music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — wild animals
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fall — the season
  10. track — a path
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a dance
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a match

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