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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — for golf
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — a leader
  10. club — a group
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — tied together
  14. key — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — letters
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — a position
  22. club — for dancing
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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