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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — a division
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — for pool
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. deal — a big deal

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