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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. last — finally
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — for catching
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cap — a hat
  11. club — for golf
  12. foot — a measure
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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