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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: court · scale · squash · face · pop · track · key · rush

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — for sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pop — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — of a king
  9. scale — in music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. face — to confront
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of law
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. face — to point toward
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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