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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — in music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. can — a tin
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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