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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · game · scale · rush · branch · land · last · pit

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. land — ground
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. scale — size or range
  7. last — to go on
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a list
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — finally
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — final
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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