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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a friend
  6. key — the most important part
  7. staff — employees
  8. key — in music
  9. capital — a city
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — money
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. key — for a lock
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — music

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