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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bound — tied together
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — in music
  13. stock — shares
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pop — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — soda
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — to visit

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