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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. press — to push
  13. track — a path
  14. press — newspapers
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — a series
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — in music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — a division
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. branch — of a tree

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