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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: mine · rock · race · fine · pop · lie · ball · scale

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a dance
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fine — all right
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. scale — in music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pop — music
  17. race — a contest
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pop — soda
  22. race — humankind
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — a penalty

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