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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. key — in music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cell — in a prison

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