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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — letters
  6. land — to come down
  7. spring — the season
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ground — a position
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spring — of water
  17. spell — magic
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — a trace
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chip — to eat
  24. land — a country

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