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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rule — a law
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rule — government
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. key — for a lock
  17. court — of a king
  18. hand — help
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. court — for sport
  24. key — in 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