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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 · track · fine · pass · chair · prune · scale · squash

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a song
  5. fine — high quality
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fine — all right
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — a leader
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pass — a permit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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