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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. key — in music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bound — certain

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