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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. row — a line
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — obliged
  18. key — the most important part
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to click
  24. coach — a trainer

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