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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. key — in music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — a country
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bound — obliged
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — ground

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