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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — magic
  12. court — of a king
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — for sport
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. branch — a division
  24. cold — not warm

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