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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. present — a gift
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. key — in music
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — tied together
  24. present — the time now

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