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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — for golf
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. can — a tin
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. club — a group
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — in music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. club — for dancing
  24. key — the most important part

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