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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. track — to keep track
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — decided
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. scale — size or range
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — clever
  16. firm — steady
  17. key — in music
  18. scale — in music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — to go away

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