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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 · rock · wound · last · track · rush · court · straw

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — to go on
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. track — a path
  15. last — finally
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. track — a song
  19. rush — hurry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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