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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. last — final
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — crushed
  7. last — finally
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — to crush
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. last — to go on
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. ground — the earth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. tube — a container
  24. squash — the sport

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