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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. key — for a lock
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a great time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — certain
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. key — in music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to confront
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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