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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — to keep track
  7. roll — a cake
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — thin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — the earth
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tear — to rip
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — a container

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