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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — all right
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. craft — a skill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. scale — size or range
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — the underground
  19. track — to keep track
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fine — a penalty

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