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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bass — the fish
  6. roll — a cake
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — certain
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. roll — a list
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — a line
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bass — low music

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