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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — in music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — the fish
  10. key — for a lock
  11. charge — a price
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — in music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. branch — of a bank

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