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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pit — a hole
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — a city
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. track — a song
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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