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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. roll — a cake
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — a division
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. roll — a list
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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