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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — obliged
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — in music
  15. face — to confront
  16. spring — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. key — for a lock

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