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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bound — certain
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. scale — in music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bat — the animal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — a container
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bound — tied together
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — obliged

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