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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: game · rest · dip · roll · scale · season · march · wake

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a match
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — in music
  23. rest — a break
  24. roll — a list

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