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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bound — certain
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pop — music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — of water
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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