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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. content — the amount
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. content — happy
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. key — the most important part
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — to hurry

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