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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: ground · stick · scale · pop · track · face · court · clip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. clip — a video
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — to visit
  5. face — to confront
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ground — a position
  19. pop — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — crushed
  24. court — for sport

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