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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · chest · key · sharp · saw · branch · track · cap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. branch — a division
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — in music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. sharp — clever
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — of your body

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