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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to sink
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — a division
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. key — the most important part
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pit — a hole
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pit — in a race
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — for weighing

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