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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. foot — a measure
  3. last — final
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — an amount
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fine — all right
  17. tube — a container
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. degree — temperature

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