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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — happy
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — tied together
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. game — a match
  21. key — in music
  22. current — electric
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. current — of water

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