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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — after costs
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — obliged
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a leader
  23. kick — in football
  24. chair — a professorship

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