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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. key — the most important part
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — a position
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  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