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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · roll · cap · rock · scale · degree · spell · track

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. degree — from a university
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. rock — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. track — a song
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pop — soda
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a path

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