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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — obliged
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — in music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a path
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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