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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — in music
  4. track — a path
  5. last — finally
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — of ice
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — final
  13. foot — a measure
  14. squash — to crush
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a song
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wind — moving air

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