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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to sink
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. march — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of a king

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