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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — in music
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. march — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a song
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — a container
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tube — the underground

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