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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. race — a contest
  6. present — there
  7. race — humankind
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — for a lock
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — a gift
  14. charge — electricity
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. charge — in control
  21. present — the time now
  22. land — a country
  23. race — the arms race
  24. charge — a price

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