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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. clip — to cut
  5. key — for a lock
  6. track — to keep track
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — in music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. date — the fruit
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — completely
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a song
  22. key — the most important part
  23. branch — a division
  24. temple — a place of worship

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