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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — for golf
  5. key — in music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — a law
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for dancing
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rule — government

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