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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. key — in music
  6. craft — boats
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. scale — in music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pop — to visit
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bound — tied together
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — clever
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pop — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pop — soda
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — moving air

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