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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bound — certain
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — a country
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — of water
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitcher — a jug

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