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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: mouse · scale · last · jam · roll · track · spell · object

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — finally
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — magic
  11. scale — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. roll — a list
  15. object — to protest
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. last — final
  18. spell — a short time
  19. track — a song
  20. object — a thing
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — letters
  24. scale — size or range

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