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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: cold · trunk · rush · track · key · rock · scale · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cold — an illness
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. key — for a lock
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — a path
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — a stone
  11. key — in music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — a song
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — in music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. key — the most important part

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