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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. band — a music group
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — to breed
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — a partner
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — tied together
  23. object — a thing
  24. band — a ring

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