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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. last — to go on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chest — a box
  8. cap — of ice
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — final
  11. key — in music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — finally
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — a division
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cap — a lid
  24. branch — of a bank

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