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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 116 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: scale · track · kick · field · trunk · fine · rash · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fine — all right
  3. capital — a city
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fine — high quality
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — hasty
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rash — a series
  14. kick — in football
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. capital — money
  21. track — a path
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — in music

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