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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — certain
  3. firm — steady
  4. key — the most important part
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — in music
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — to be able to
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — tied together
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — obliged
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  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