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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: fall · row · key · root · track · scale · season · race

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — the most important part
  9. root — of a word
  10. race — the arms race
  11. scale — size or range
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — in sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — humankind
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — for a lock
  20. track — a song
  21. row — to paddle
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — a contest
  24. track — a path

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