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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: cap · race · hide · mine · scale · track · board · ground

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. cap — of ice
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. race — a contest
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — crushed
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a song
  20. race — humankind
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  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