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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. tube — a container
  4. row — a line
  5. track — a song
  6. foot — a measure
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — for golf
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. club — a group
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. track — a path
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wound — an injury

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