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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: mark · ground · wound · roll · toast · scale · capital · track

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. capital — money
  4. roll — a cake
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — the earth
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. capital — a city
  14. mark — a grade
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. roll — a list
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — a position
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — crushed

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