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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tear — from crying
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cold — an illness
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. branch — a division
  20. mug — to rob
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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