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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — in cards
  18. key — the most important part
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bound — certain
  24. key — for a lock

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