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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — the most important part
  7. capital — a city
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — in football
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. key — in music
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — money
  24. staff — employees

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