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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spell — magic
  5. shower — rain
  6. object — to protest
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stand — to bear
  9. game — a match
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. object — an aim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spell — a short time
  16. scale — in music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. shower — to wash
  21. object — a thing
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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