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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — a country
  4. suit — to fit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. land — to come down
  7. court — of law
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — of a king
  11. land — ground
  12. court — for sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — obliged
  24. suit — clothes

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