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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — certain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bore — to tire
  13. net — after costs
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. key — for a lock
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — in music

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