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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — a line
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tube — a container
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. scale — size or range
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a path
  24. row — a quarrel

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