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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — ground
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. land — a country
  11. track — to keep track
  12. land — to come down
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. track — a path
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — a container
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a song
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — a list
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — the fruit
  24. roll — on a roll

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