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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. band — a music group
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rock — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rock — a stone
  21. key — in music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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