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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — electric
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — in music
  24. rest — a break

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