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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. key — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — letters
  12. deal — to handle
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bound — certain
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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