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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — certain
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — the season
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — low music
  24. mate — to breed

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