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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. swing — in golf
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — a song
  7. swing — music
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. last — final
  13. swing — to play on
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hand — help
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — to go on

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