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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — for pool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — a division
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bound — certain
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — belonging to me

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