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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — certain
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — obliged
  12. key — for a lock
  13. track — a song
  14. present — a gift
  15. bear — the animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. key — in music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — the animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bound — tied together

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