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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lean — to bend
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lean — thin
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — in music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bowl — a football final

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