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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — clever
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. toast — bread
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — a division
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. rush — hurry
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of a tree

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