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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bank — for money
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — for golf
  10. hand — help
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — to protest
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. club — a group
  17. pop — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. key — in music
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — a thing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bank — of a river
  24. object — an aim

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