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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 116 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: hide · hand · track · bay · scale · tube · game · rock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — in music

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