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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. last — finally
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bass — low music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — in football
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. last — final
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kick — a thrill

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