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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bound — obliged
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. key — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. clip — a video
  19. scale — size or range
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — for a lock
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bound — tied together
  24. key — the most important part

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