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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — to rob
  6. key — the most important part
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a trace
  9. track — a song
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. rest — a break
  13. mug — a face
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — to go on
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — a cup

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