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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: pop · foot · mug · last · rule · fan · track · scale

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — a law
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pop — music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mug — a face
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — finally
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — to keep track

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