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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — to come down
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pass — a permit
  10. content — the amount
  11. court — of law
  12. content — happy
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — of a king
  24. land — ground

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