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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. key — in music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — an illness
  8. deal — to handle
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — the most important part
  24. safe — out of danger

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