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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: hand · cap · wind · pound · key · scale · track · chest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chest — a box
  18. track — a song
  19. key — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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