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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pit — in a race
  11. content — happy
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — certain
  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