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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. land — ground
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — the most important part
  15. game — wild animals
  16. key — in music
  17. land — a country
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a match
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — to come down
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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