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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. key — the most important part
  3. march — the month
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. band — a ring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pop — soda
  21. band — a music group
  22. pop — music
  23. march — music
  24. cell — in a prison

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