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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — certain
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — an aim
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — obliged
  12. object — a thing
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. key — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — to go on
  19. branch — a division
  20. last — final
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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