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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. band — a music group
  7. chair — a leader
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bound — certain
  21. key — the most important part
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — tied together
  24. key — for a lock

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