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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — a division
  4. key — the most important part
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. key — in music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mate — a friend
  13. deal — to handle
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. present — there
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mate — a partner
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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