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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — to rob
  3. key — for a lock
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mug — a face
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — certain

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