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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — finally
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. spell — letters
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — final
  14. march — music
  15. track — a path
  16. mine — for digging
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — magic
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — the bottom

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