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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. key — the most important part
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. charge — in control
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. charge — a price
  24. chest — of your body

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