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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 124 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. clip — a video
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to click
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — government
  23. tube — a container
  24. key — the most important part

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