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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: bore · track · sharp · plane · wind · rash · scale · game

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wind — moving air
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bore — to drill

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