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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. key — in music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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