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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tube — a container
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. snap — to click
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rush — hurry
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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