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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. present — a gift
  6. key — the most important part
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — there
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a ring
  14. key — in music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. band — a music group
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rock — music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. present — the time now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bound — certain

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