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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bound — certain
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — obliged
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cell — in biology
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. club — for golf
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bound — tied together
  23. club — a group
  24. key — in music

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