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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. branch — a division
  3. mug — a face
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — for a lock
  9. toast — bread
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chest — a box
  15. key — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cell — a phone
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. scale — in music

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