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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. key — in music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — for a lock
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — a division
  24. sharp — exactly

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