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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. last — finally
  7. key — the most important part
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. branch — a division
  11. file — a document
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. last — to go on
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. key — in music
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. toast — bread
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. sharp — exactly

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