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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — a division
  3. dip — to sink
  4. march — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. last — finally
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. last — to go on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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