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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a document
  3. key — the most important part
  4. track — a song
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. track — a path
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. march — the month
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. branch — a division
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fan — to cool the air

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