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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. key — the most important part
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bound — tied together
  7. clip — for paper
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — a video
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bound — obliged
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — clever
  18. date — the fruit
  19. firm — decided
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. firm — a company
  23. key — in music
  24. firm — steady

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