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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — tied together
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bound — certain
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — obliged
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ground — the earth

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