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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — finally
  5. swing — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — to go on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — final
  12. kid — child
  13. swing — in golf
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — for a lock

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