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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — a match
  3. net — after costs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rush — hurry
  6. present — there
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. present — the time now
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. present — a gift
  18. game — a kind of play

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