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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · pit · hand · track · row · scale

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. track — a song
  12. pit — in a race
  13. track — to keep track
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range

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