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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. last — to go on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — ground
  9. tube — the underground
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bass — low music
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — final
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bass — the instrument

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