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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: bat · dip · band · track · net · key · scale · jam

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a ring
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. key — the most important part
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a path
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. scale — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — to keep track
  18. key — in music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. track — a song
  21. bat — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. net — after costs

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