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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fall — the season
  9. march — music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — after costs
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — for catching
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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