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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — in music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. land — to come down
  8. hand — help
  9. key — the most important part
  10. land — ground
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — in sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — a country
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — certain
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — crushed

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