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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. track — to keep track
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a document
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. file — a line of people
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — a container
  14. track — a song
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a path
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — in cards
  24. file — a tool

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