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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: safe · patient · row · scale · ball · chest · track · last

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chest — a box
  5. row — a line
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. ball — a great time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a dance
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — size or range
  20. track — a song
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — finally

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