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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — for sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — a path
  10. cap — of ice
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — to shout
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. court — of a king
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — a song
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. nail — for a hammer

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