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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: kid · track · rule · scale · race · court · plane · sharp

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — to tease
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. race — humankind
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — of a king
  16. kid — child
  17. track — a path
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — a tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. race — a contest
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. race — the arms race

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