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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rule — a law
  4. key — in music
  5. rule — government
  6. content — happy
  7. net — for catching
  8. current — happening now
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. current — electric
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — a position
  13. net — in sport
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ground — crushed
  18. content — the amount
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bound — obliged
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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