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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — to play on
  7. key — for a lock
  8. land — ground
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — tied together
  16. key — in music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. dip — to sink
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — for weighing

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