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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: track · toast · scale · net · fork · pass · cold · vault

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — an illness
  8. toast — bread
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fork — in a road
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. track — a path
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pass — a permit
  24. track — a song

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