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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — the season
  4. key — for a lock
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. key — in music
  24. squash — the sport

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