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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — in music
  6. net — after costs
  7. key — for a lock
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — a path
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. key — the most important part
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. track — a song

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