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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bound — tied together
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. charge — a price
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bound — certain
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. key — in music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chest — a box
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. charge — in control

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