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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fall — the season
  3. chip — for betting
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fork — in a road
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. key — in music
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fall — to drop

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