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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pass — a permit
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — a country
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. key — in music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — ground
  13. board — to get on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pop — to visit
  23. board — a committee
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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