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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: pop · cabinet · face · track · pass · last · game · scale

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — a song
  3. pop — music
  4. last — final
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — to keep track
  7. last — to go on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — part of the head
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. scale — in music
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — finally

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