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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — government
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — in music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitch — completely
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rule — a law
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rule — to rule out

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