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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: scale · race · swing · jam · track · pop · court · lean

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a song
  3. court — for sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. scale — in music
  8. lean — thin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — of law
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lean — to bend
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a path
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. race — humankind
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — of a king
  24. race — a contest

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