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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. net — after costs
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bound — obliged
  9. key — in music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — to bear
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — of your body

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