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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. object — to protest
  4. bound — certain
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. ball — a great time
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. shower — rain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — the most important part
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — of the year

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