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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — letters
  6. mug — a face
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — to rob
  11. branch — a division
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — a box
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — the underground
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tube — a container
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. key — the most important part

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