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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — in music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mug — a face
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. key — for a lock
  18. scale — in music
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. key — the most important part
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — music

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