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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — a container
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. craft — boats
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wind — to turn a key

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