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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mug — a cup
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — for a lock
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. key — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mug — a face
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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