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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — farmland
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. last — to go on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. capital — a city
  11. field — a subject
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. foot — a measure
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — final
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — money
  24. last — finally

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