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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ground — the earth
  4. suit — to fit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. suit — in cards
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. drill — army training
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — a practice
  17. craft — boats
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a path
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wound — an injury
  24. foot — part of the body

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