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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — certain
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pop — to visit
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pass — a permit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — in music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bound — tied together
  13. branch — a division
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. key — for a lock

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