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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — final
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bound — certain
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bound — obliged
  15. content — happy
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. key — in music
  21. last — finally
  22. content — the amount
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — to go on

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