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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — for a lock
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — a match
  6. key — the most important part
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chest — a box
  9. spell — magic
  10. key — in music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — letters
  13. mark — a trace
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — wild animals
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a ring
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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