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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · mug · game · track · march · jam · last · coach

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a match
  7. march — music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. track — a song
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — the month

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