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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — all right
  4. mark — a grade
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. track — a path
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fine — high quality
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rock — music
  20. track — a song
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a dance

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