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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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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: track · mouse · straw · cap · capital · scale · pound · fork

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. track — a song
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. capital — money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a lid
  24. scale — size or range

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