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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — the tool
  8. key — in music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pop — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — of the year

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