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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — a price
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. charge — in control
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. charge — electricity
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fine — all right
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — a division
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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