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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 · rash · pop · track · capital · lie · coach · field

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — size or range
  6. track — a path
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — a series
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — soda
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — money

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