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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. race — a contest
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. field — farmland
  6. face — to point toward
  7. key — in music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — part of the head
  10. race — the arms race
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — certain
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — humankind
  23. field — a subject
  24. pound — a weight

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