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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bound — obliged
  3. object — to protest
  4. key — in music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cell — in biology
  7. firm — a company
  8. band — a music group
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. key — the most important part
  12. firm — steady
  13. object — an aim
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. band — a ring
  17. bound — certain
  18. last — final
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bound — tied together
  22. object — a thing
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cell — a phone

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