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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — a video
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — to cut
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — in music
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — to protest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. object — an aim
  24. club — for dancing

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