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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. face — part of the head
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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