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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. object — an aim
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — a thing
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — in music
  24. chip — for betting

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