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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: roll · mate · stick · field · last · rest · scale · cell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mate — to breed
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. field — a subject
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — a list
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a cake

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